Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson turned up the heat on Theresa May last night over the Prime Minister’s alliance with Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party.

Ms Davidson – whose 12 new Scottish Tory MPs kept Jeremy Corbyn out of Downing Street – spoke to The Mail on Sunday exclusively over her concerns about the deal, which was close last night.

The controversial alliance is vital to Mrs May’s hopes of getting a working majority in the wake of last week’s calamitous Election result.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson turned up the heat on Theresa May last night over the Prime Minister's alliance with Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party

But Ms Davidson – now seen as the brightest Tory Party star – pointedly restated her reservations about the deal over the DUP’s opposition to same-sex marriage.

Ms Davidson, who is gay, insisted she had received ‘clear assurances’ from the Prime Minister that any deal would not harm the cause of equal rights and equal marriage, which is not legal in Northern Ireland. She said: ‘I have my differences with the DUP and their views on equal rights.

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‘That is why I sought and received clear assurances from the Prime Minister that we will do all we can, as the party of equal marriage, to advance that cause.’

Downing Street said last night: ‘The Prime Minister has tonight spoken with the DUP to discuss finalising a confidence and supply deal when Parliament returns next week.

Ms Davidson – now seen as the brightest Tory Party star – pointedly restated her reservations about the deal over the DUP's opposition to same-sex marriage. Pictured: Protesters in London

‘We will welcome any such deal being agreed, as it will provide the stability and certainty the whole country requires as we embark on Brexit and beyond.

‘As and when details are finalised, both parties will put them forward.’

The agreement seemed to be close after Government Chief Whip Gavin Williamson was sent to Belfast for negotiations. He faces a race against time to secure a deal before this week’s Queen’s Speech programme of legislation.

He is understood to have met DUP chief whip Sir Jeffrey Donaldson for the talks.

The DUP was formed by the firebrand Protestant preacher Ian Paisley at the height of the Troubles

However, many Tory MPs are concerned about the arrangement, with South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen writing online that she was ‘deeply unhappy’ with the idea of a DUP coalition.

She said the Conservatives should operate a minority Government, seeking cross-party support on big issues. She added: ‘UK demands grown-up politics.’

The talks prompted protests in London yesterday, while more than 500,000 people have signed an online petition opposing the alliance. Labour, which has called for Mrs May to resign, has ridiculed her for being reliant on the DUP.

There are also fears that signing a formal deal will damage the Government’s attempt to broker a power-sharing agreement between Sinn Fein and the DUP.

Jonathan Powell, a key adviser to Tony Blair during the Northern Ireland peace talks, said last week: ‘Even John Major didn’t resort to relying on DUP. This could undo 20 years of work.’

The DUP was formed by the firebrand Protestant preacher Ian Paisley at the height of the Troubles, and some of its leading figures were involved in a loyalist paramilitary group, Ulster Resistance.

The DUP eventually ended its opposition to the peace process and entered into an historic power-sharing deal with Sinn Fein.

But it remains deeply socially conservative – it opposes gay rights and abortion, and supports the teaching of creationism in schools.

RUTH DAVIDSON: 'But for us Scottish Tories, calamity Corbyn would now be in No10'

By Ruth Davidson, Scottish Tory leader

Less than three months ago, in the middle of March, Nicola Sturgeon stood up at the SNP conference in Aberdeen and sent her supporters into raptures. 'There will be a referendum,' she declared, to cheers from the faithful.

On Friday lunchtime last week, Ms Sturgeon stood up at a press conference in Edinburgh, with a very different message. The Scottish public had just dumped 21 SNP MPs out of their jobs. The First Minister was forced to respond she would now be 'reflecting' on her referendum plans.

What a difference an election can make. In the spring, Ms Sturgeon and her colleagues believed a second referendum was theirs for the taking. They assumed that if they demanded it, Scotland and the UK government, would meekly acquiesce. It was a huge mis-read.

If they'd asked, the SNP would have known how unpopular another referendum was, writes Ruth Davidson

If they'd asked, the SNP would have known how unpopular another referendum was. If they'd stopped to listen, they'd have known most of us felt downright appalled at the idea. Last Thursday we had our chance to speak out.

We said no – again. And, contrary to her assertion back in March, Nicola Sturgeon now knows this: there won't be a referendum. Not now. Not after this. It is dead in the water. SNP MPs like Angus Robertson and Alex Salmond have lost their jobs as a result of Ms Sturgeon's hubris.

The SNP now knows that their reckless decision to push for a second referendum has come with a high political price. And Ms Sturgeon knows that, if she were to continue with this course, it would be her job next. The Union is still in a period of great uncertainty. But last week's setback for the SNP has given us some welcome breathing space.

This weekend, therefore, my focus is clear. We must now use this chance to ensure that we strengthen the Union while we can. That case has been pummelled and damaged in recent years.

Contrary to her assertion back in March, Nicola Sturgeon now knows this: there won't be a referendum

Day by day, inch by inch, the SNP has tried to tease apart the ties that bind us, creating differences where none previously existed. Last week, the Nationalists were punished for trying to take that mission too far – and for taking people's support for granted. We must not make the same mistake. Instead, we must show that that the Union is working for people every day.

That is why I support the Prime Minister's efforts to move quickly to deliver a working government. Now, as most people know, I have my differences with the DUP and their views on equal rights. That is why I sought and received clear assurances from the Prime Minister that we will do all we can, as the party of equal marriage, to advance that cause as we go forward.

And with that government in place, we can begin to restore confidence in the UK. We can focus on getting the best possible Brexit deal for all of us. And we can restore faith in our own country after these years of turmoil.

The new Scottish Conservative MPs will be part of that. We will be no less passionate than the SNP in representing Scotland's interests. But we will do so in the belief that those interests are always best pursued by being part of our Union. We will always fight for Scotland's voice to be heard.

We will always champion Scotland's needs. But we will be constructive not destructive, seeking co-operation where the SNP has only pursued grievance. We will, in other words, show how the Union can work for Scotland. Not by demanding the heavens and then moaning when it doesn't come off.

But by working with colleagues from elsewhere in the UK, by pressing our case, and by making progress. By – for example – creating a new financial deal for our Borderlands regions. By – to take another – ensuring that the needs of our fishing communities in the north-east are heard as we leave the CFP, and that we do more to support the oil and gas industry.

These are the tangible gains that can be made at Westminster by Scottish MPs with a cooperative spirit. This is how we begin to show that the Union isn't something imposed on us to be resented: it's something that we take part in, to our mutual benefit.

We intend to show that the Union works. That if it hadn't been built, somebody would have ended up inventing it

This is how we start to rebuild trust that Westminster is working for Scotland. At the same time, we will aim to show the rest of the UK that we are all better for having Scotland in the mix. And one rather big example of that comes to mind. Had it not been for Conservative gains in Scotland last week, Jeremy Corbyn could now be Prime Minister.

Nicola Sturgeon would be pulling the strings. And what would that have meant? Punitive taxation, a crashed economy, and the prospect of yet more constitutional upheaval. I predict that Mr Corbyn will continue to be exposed over the coming months as a leader utterly unsuited for the job of Prime Minister. We will soon be seeing more examples of how it could have damaged us all.

And people will know - it was with the Conservative gains made in Scotland which stopped him from getting into power. That's important. Over the last few years, nationalists in England have built up resentment against Scotland.

The new Scottish Conservative MPs will take the fight to Mr Corbyn's destructive agenda over the coming years

Aided and abetted by the SNP surge, they've tried to claim England's needs have been ignored – and that the Union is therefore bust. We have seen how the Union could end; with resentment on either side of the border, leading to an inevitable divorce.

Our Scottish Conservative MPs will, I hope, show that sometimes it's better to have allies after all. Sure, sometimes you don't get your own way. But sometimes, being part of a bigger club is worth it.

The new Scottish Conservative MPs will take the fight to Mr Corbyn's destructive agenda over the coming years. And they will do so on behalf of all those in the United Kingdom who oppose his agenda.

In short, we intend to show that the Union works. That if it hadn't been built, somebody would have ended up inventing it. That you don't always get your own way. But that there is always value in taking a bigger perspective that reaches across our borders – and that it is worth making the effort.

And I hope that, if we show it working, we can finally end what has now been a decade of uncertainty over the UK's continued existence. For ten years, the SNP has adroitly constructed the narrative that it's all about to collapse.

That divorce is inevitable. That there's nothing we can do to stop it. And with leaders like Alex Salmond at the forefront, they had the chutzpah and brio to carry it of.

On Thursday night last week, the illusion cracked. The SNP over-reached, taking people's support for granted. Mr Salmond lost his seat. They were exposed as just another political movement that got things wrong

So here's our chance.

If the new Conservative government can show, over the coming few months that the Union works for us all; if we show we are prepared to listen to all parts of the UK, then we can put this constitutional conflict to bed. Not by bullying supporters of independence into silence, but by persuading our fellow Scots that the Union works for them.

And that way, we can get on with what most people want – no matter where you live in the UK. And that is a parliament and a government which is focussed back on the day job.

That's the opportunity last week's election has given us, right across the UK. We will seize it.